


Bitten

by lennyangel



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Biting, Blood Drinking, Character Turned Into Vampire, Happy Ending, Implied homophobia, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not explicit at first but tagging early so I don't upset anyone later, Self-Harm, Tsukishima is a supportive teammate, Vampire AU, as in it's mentioned but isn't a focus of the story, not as in he's slightly autistic because that doesn't make sense, slight autistic!kageyama, this has turned into a slow burn against my wishes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-18 02:29:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 17,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12378990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lennyangel/pseuds/lennyangel
Summary: Kageyama begins to act strangely. He wears sunglasses inside, he appears out of nowhere and he seems even more inhumanely accurate at tossing than before. But most importantly, he looks at Hinata as though he's some kind of meat bun. And Hinata kind of likes it?





	1. Kageyama is acting strange

**Author's Note:**

> Good grief, this hit me hard a few hours ago and I had to write as much as possible before it disappeared like frost on a warm morning.

Kageyama was acting strange. Hinata shook his head. Kageyama was acting  _stranger_. Hinata's eyes watched him, hiding in the corner of the gym with his sunglasses on. That was one thing: he'd started wearing sunglasses to school. When he couldn't wear them; in class or while practicing, he seemed to be glaring more than usual. People were avoiding him because of that. Not that it seemed to matter, because he would appear out of nowhere. You'd be in the classroom on your own and then suddenly, there's Kageyama, stepping out of a shadowy corner as if he'd been there the whole time. Hinata had nearly died of a heart attack the first time it had happened. He wouldn't just appear though, he would disappear. You'd be walking in the corridor, and he would just be gone. It was very frustrating. He was also giving off some kind of aura. The middle blocker couldn't put his finger on it, but it was as if every sense he had was now telling him that Kageyama was a 'Dangerous Thing'. Like red on posionous plants or something in the wild. However, he ignored it, because he knew Kageyama. The setter was cantankerous, rude, stupid, and had the social skills of a badly trained boar. But he was also surprisingly patient, dedicated to volleyball and he fiercely, passionately, loved his teammates. Even Tsukishima. Besides, if something was wrong with Kageyama, it wasn't showing in his game. In fact, Hinata felt that the setter was more precise than ever. He seemed to be moving faster, even giving the orange haired boy a run for his money.

"Ah, are you okay with that Kageyama? It's heavy." The sound of Asahi's deep, apologetic voice reached his ears. He turned to see Kageyama carrying the entire ball cart. The wheel's had broken (perhaps because of Hinata and Tanaka having turns "racing" in it) and so pairs had been carrying it back to the equipment room together at the end of practice. However, Asahi worriedly following, Kageyama was carrying the whole thing as though it was no heavier than a school bag. Yup, definitely strange. 

\- - -  
   
After unlocking his bike, Hinata approached Kageyama, who was still waiving off a fussing Asahi. As the older boy left, Hinata took a step towards the setter. And the setter took a step back. Now this was what bothered him the most about Kageyama's sudden strangeness. He was  _avoiding_  Hinata. Not like when they were fighting, where they'd stay as far away from each other as possible. No, Kageyama talked to him like normal, they had lunch together, they practiced just the two of them, and walked home (for a short while) together. However, it seemed as if Kageyama needed to be just out of arm's reach of Hinata. And Kageyama's arm length, so it was even more unfair.  

"Wanna walk home together?" Hinata asked, biting back his annoyance. Pulling out sunglasses, Kageyama gave him a curt nod. Most people would consider this dismissive, but Hinata knew better. It was practically a bright smile. They walked and chatted about their days. While compared to Hinata he spoke less, Kageyama was actually pretty chatty one-on-one. Tilting his head slightly, Hinata spoke,   
"Can I ask a question?"   
"Ah?"   
"What's up with the glasses?" Kageyama stiffened. Then he gestured vaguely with his hands, before growling   
"Lights are just bright." Hinata looked at him funny.   
"Lights are always bright. Also, it's night time. They aren't that bright now." With a sigh, Kageyama responded   
"Yes they are."    
"But they've always been bright! Why suddenly? Why, why, why,why,why?" He jumped, bike rattling, with each question. Kageyama grabbed his head.   
"Ahhhh shut up, Dumbass, you're annoying. If I say they are bright, they are bright. Now go home before it gets dark, and you're stupid butt gets lost in the mountains." Hinata poked his tongue out and hopped on his bike. A few pedals later he turned and yelled a goodnight to his best friend.    
"Goodnight, Dumbass!" Hinata laughed. Things weren't too strange; Kageyama had grabbed his head. He decided to let the sunglasses thing go. Maybe he was getting migraines, or was trying a special volleyball health tip. If that were the case, maybe Hinata should try it too? 

 - - -

"What the hell are you wearing?" Came a familiar snarl. Hinata looked at his teammate innocently.   
"Sunglasses".   
"Why the hell are you wearing sunglasses?" Hinata looked at himself refelcted in the lenses of Kageyama's sunglasses. He snapped.    
"BECAUSE YOU ARE BAKAYAMA!"    
"THE HELL SORT OF REASON IS THAT?!"    
Now they were kicking and pulling at each other. Hinata was mad, but he was happy, because this was back in the realm of ordinary strange Kageyama behaviour. He was always a tiny bit of a hypocrite. But before the senpais could separate them, Kageyama suddenly dropped him and pulled back. Unfortunately, Hinata had not let go so the effect was that he fell into the taller boy's chest. He went to pull back, complaining, but found tight fingers were holding him where he was. He looked up inquisitively. Kageyama was looking down at him, expression twisted in pain, breathing ragged. Both their sunglasses had been displaced in their struggle, and their eyes met. Kageyama's eyes appeared to be glowing. They were looking at Hinata with what could only be described as _hunger._ He felt his own breath hitch, as he got lost in the deep blue of Kageyama's eyes. He'd never realised how beautiful they were. A blush crept to his face, a combination of being held and looked at like  _that_ , and his own silly thoughts. Kageyama licked his lips.    
   
"Oy, you two, stop fighting and start warming up!" yelled Tanaka across the gym. Kageyama shoved Hinata away, and power walked away to aggressively start stretching.   
"It didn't look like they were fighting, eh Yamaguchi?" Sneered Tsukishima, while Yamaguchi snickered. Hinata was left to stand blinking in shock. Definitely strange.  


	2. Kageyamaness

That night, Hinata was turning the puzzle of Kageyama around in his head. Lying in his futon, he called google up on his phone.    
**_my friend just started wearing sunglasses_**    
Just a whole lot of glasses related articles. Maybe he wasn't specific enough.    
**_my friend wears sunglasses inside_  **  
A lot of articles calling people out for doing it to 'look cool'. Kageyama wasn't the kind of person to try and look cool. Images of Kageyama setting and serving came into his head. He didn't need sunglasses to look cool. The blush from earlier that day returned to his face.     
**_m_ _y friend doesn't like bright lights_  **  
Something about photophobia, where people don't like lights for some reason. There were also some articles on autism. Hinata got a little distracted reading through more of those articles. Social difficulties, strange emotional expression, special interest, self-stimulatory behaviour. He pondered this for a while. That would just be ordinary Kageyama. This was a new strangeness about him. What could it be? The image of Kageyama's tongue slipping across his slightly chapped lips sprung to mind. Hinata hid his face in his pillow, despite no one being there to see his blush.   
**_my friend wants to eat me?_  **  
The results made him throw his phone on the floor with a horrified peep. How could people do those things, with their mouths, and, and, and.....    
It took him a long time to fall asleep, distracting thoughts of chapped lips in private places keeping his mind active.  

 ---

The next day was quite difficult. Hinata kept getting distracted by Kageyama and his Kageyamaness. His sunglasses wearing, shadow appearing, volleyball loving Kageyamaness. The way he would roll the ball around and around in his hands when he was thinking off the court. How he angrily smashed the milk button on the vending machine before assaulting the little carton. The way he slid his lunchbox over, so Hinata could eat his remaining rice (another of the new strange behaviours, although Hinata wasn't complaining). How his eyes were such a deep, sharp blue. Whenever those eyes rolled towards him, Hinata fluffed up and turned around to hide. The google results of the previous night kept coming back to him. He could tell that Kageyama was giving him strange looks, even behind tinted lenses. However, much like Hinata hadn't really mentioned Kageyama's strangeness, Kageyama didn't mention Hinata's.  

\--- 

"One more!" He called, racing across the court. It was just the two of them after school, as was their norm. Normally, Hinata tired Kageyama out while still having energy to spare. Tonight though, Kageyama hadn't even broken a sweat. At his behest, they had turned off all lights, bar one. Hinata didn't mind, as the balls found their way to his hand every single hit. However, he did need to see a little, if they were going to practice him tracking the ball. There was something more intimate about practicing in the dark. They spoke less, letting the plays be their communication. Only the squeak of shoes, bang of balls, and their panting breath. He was highly aware of the boy playing with him. Now he couldn't see him, his imagination filled in the gaps. Or perhaps memory, as he was so well acquainted with his partner that it seemed as if imagination was unnecessary. Kageyama's focused expression, brow imperceptibly furrowed, fingers deftly adjusting the ball as his long, lean arms extended quickly. The sliver of abdomen revealed when he jumped for serves. The soft swish of his silken hair. Panting, Hinata ran for the ball again. And this time he didn't get it. Too tired, too sweaty, too distracted, he tripped over. It happened so fast, he didn't even yelp. Just smashed flat on the ground.

The moment he hit the ground, Kageyama was by his side.   
"Oy, you alright Dumbass?" He asked, tenderness in his normal growl. He helped Hinata roll over, who groaned.    
"I think I'm done for the night." He grumbled, before sitting up to give Kageyama a wide grin. The setter's hand was still on his shoulder, but now it slid slowly up his neck. Again, Hinata was entranced by the sight of the dark-haired boy licking his lips. As his face was caressed by gentle, calloused fingers, the smaller boy's heart seemed to stop. Dark blue eyes met his. In the darkness, they glowed. There was that look of hunger in them again. He felt so hot all of a sudden, blood rushing to his face. It wasn't entirely embarrassment, although there was some of that too. Kageyama seemed to be asking him something, although, for the first time in a long time, he didn't know what. He wanted to say yes though. He almost whispered the word. A nervous sigh escaped his quivering lips. Strong arms pushed him away, and with shock he watched a retreating '9' exit the gym.

Hinata was not used to backing down from a Kageyama related challenge. So, he got up, wobbling slightly from exhaustion. Without thinking, he ran after his partner. He didn't care about Kagayama's strangeness, he didn't care about the sunglasses, the milk, the scowls. He just didn't want to lose him. And the sight of that retreating '9', the way he stepped back, was too much. He bowled into the taller boy, knocking them both to the ground outside and scraping his arm on the concrete. Kageyama flipped him off his back, turning over so, somehow, he was pinning Hinata to the ground. Hinata's chest rose and fell rapidly underneath the weight of him. Breath hitching, he looked up at Kageyama. His eyes were sharp, maddened, animalistic. Hinata's  scraped arm was pulled up and glared at. A bead of blood escaped the wound. Kageyama leaned forward and licked a warm tongue against it. Hinata whimpered a little. It stung, and tingled, and was strange. But he wanted more. Blue eyes turned on him. There was that question again, and now it seemed he knew what it was.  
"Yes." he breathed. And then Kageyama was at his neck, and there was pain, and warmth, then a swell of pleasure, before panic and finally, as a gasping, bloody-mouthed Kageyama pulled away, his vision went black.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, my autistic!Kageyama headcanon slipped into this. I'm autistic, and I love Kageyama, so I couldn't help it.  
> Anyway, the bite! I hope you enjoyed this chapter <3  
> Those were my actual results when I googled those questions, which actually changed how that segment was meant to go (for the better, I think haha)  
> I updated so soon because I am drunk on this AU right now but it's past my bed time, so no more for today (probably~). Next time, we'll get things from Kags' perspective!


	3. After the attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it with this mess haha

Sweet warmth filled his throat. Not salty or metallic, as it had once been, the blood was rich, almost spiced, and delicious. It quenched him as no drink ever had before, and yet he wanted more. As his prey wriggled and meeped beneath him, he continued to press down and suck more nourishment away. A small hand hit weakly against his back. Realisation kicked in. With horror, he pulled back, only to see Hinata's eyes close and his body go limp.    
_'fuck I've killed him'_    
Panic rose in his throat, before he realised there was still the faint beat of a heart. He could hear it, weakly pumping the remainder of the small boy's blood around. Kageyama looked down at the wound that was still seeping little drips of blood. Two pinpricks. Disgust at what he had done made him almost retch up all the blood. How could he have done that? For so long, he'd been holding back. Avoiding people, staying in the shadows, keeping them at arm's length. It wasn't hard; he'd been doing it all his life. People had posed somewhat of a puzzle for him since childhood. He had developed an aura, a barrier, to keep others at bay the rest of the time. It worked on everyone, even those he wanted to be connected to, and eventually everyone had abandoned him.

But not Hinata. No, it was impossible to keep away from Hinata. Not only was his teammate possessed with an acute stupidity that had him dive head first towards situations others would approach with caution, he also had an unstoppably friendly personality. But it wasn't just Hinata running towards him. An indescribable magnetism pulled him towards Hinata. Ever since the day he had played against him in middle school, watched him move so passionately and fight on to the bitter end, since watching him cry as he declared he was going to become the strongest, since he had first closed his eyes when Kageyama set him the ball.  It was more than finding a teammate who could keep up with his serves, it was about finding someone who understood him. Hinata met him where he was, and pushed him to do more. It was also the aspiring small giant who had opened up Kageyama to the world. Now he not only had teammates, but friends. People who didn't just care about his performance on the court, people who cared about him personally. Chief among was his number 10, the strongest decoy, Hinata Shouyou. His partner, his rival, his best friend. And most recently, his victim. 

Face pale, breathing shallow, Hinata lay in deathly unconsciousness. Guilt tugged at Kageyama. He knelt down to lift his friend off the ground. A drop of blood stained the concrete. Unbidden, his tongue licked at his blood-stained lips. Cold, the blood wasn't nearly as deliciousness. He stroked the hair from Hinata's face tenderly. Tears came unbidden to his eyes. Now, because of his inability to control himself, he was going to lose everything, again. Everyone loved Hinata, he was just innately more lovable than Kageyama. If Hinata abandoned him, so too would everyone else. And it was all his fault, just like last time. He would be left alone, just as before. Hugging the smaller boy to his chest, he silently sobbed. Soon though, the agony in his chest was replaced by a dullness he was familiar with. There was a stirring against his chest, and he looked down to see Hinata's eyes fluttering. He couldn't let the boy wake up and see him. He needed to take him somewhere. Preferably to a place where Hinata would be taken care of, and somewhere nearby.    
_Sakanoshita_ _._     
Gently, he stood, picking Hinata up with him. Carrying the unconscious boy in his arms, he made speedy progress towards the store. It was easy, the boy weighed almost nothing in his arms. And speed was something he'd gained much of since the attack. It was an effort to hold himself back so as to appear normal. Within minutes he was at the store front. He carefully placed down his burden, before knocking heavily on the door and hiding in the shadows. Coach Ukai angrily peered out the door, demanding who was banging this late at night. Then his eyes found Hinata, and after a brief panic, went into problem solving mode. He called Hinata's parents, and arranged to meet them at the hospital. Kageyama watched him carry the orange haired boy to his car, and drive away. Then Kageyama returned home to wash the blood of his face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's Kageyama's perspective. The poor boy was trying really hard not to eat Hinata, but Hinata is not a smart boy.


	4. Decapitation is worse

When Hinata woke, he was greeted by four very concerned faces. There was his mother, holding a teary eyed Natsu on her lap. Coach Ukai, who was chewing his lip furiously, no doubt wishing he could smoke. And a strange woman.    
"Nii-chan!" Burst out Natsu, struggling against her mother to climb on the bed.   
"Hinata, thank goodness." Came his mother's tired but relieved voice, as she held down the frantic child. Ukai gave him a toothy grin that looked only a little forced. Hinata blinked blearily; why was everyone so concerned? Where was he? Why did his arm feel strange? He looked down to find a tube in it with a clear liquid being fed through it.    
_What's going on?_ He wanted to ask. But his mouth was unimaginably dry and all that escaped was a pained croak.    
"Nii-chan!" Natsu cried again, tears springing to her eyes as her brother was clearly on his death bed. Hinata croaked again, trying to comfort his sister by taking her hand. But he was weak, and merely flopped it pathetically on the bed. So, the effect was the opposite of intended. She began to weep. The strange woman stepped forward now, smiling reassuringly. Hinata recognized her now as a doctor, realising he was in a hospital. Pieces of his memory came back to him and he wondered why they only had him on a clear liquid. How had he gotten to the hospital at all?    
"Hinata-kun, I'm Doctor Miyamoto. You lost a bit of blood earlier; we had to give you a transfusion. You're just on a saline drip right now. It's okay if you feel drowsy or disoriented." She came closer.    
"Would you like a drink of water?" He nodded, and a cup from the table was held to his lips. He drank, and more memories returned, making him splutter. As if triggered by the memory, he became aware of a stinging on the right of his neck. The cup was taken away after he began to cough. His first thought was to turn to his little sister. With a weak smile, he said,   
"It's okay, Natsu. Nii-chan's super strong you know." He was rewarded with a relieved smile from both his mother and sister. Ukai stood up now.   
"I'm glad you're okay, Hinata. I'm going to leave you alone. Feel better soon. Don't worry about practice, just focus on getting well." Then with a farewell to Hinata's mother, and a thank you to the doctor, he left. Hinata wondered why his coach was even there in the first place.    
"Hinata-kun, would you be able to tell us what happened?" He couldn't tell them the truth. What would happen to Kageyama? They'd arrest him, kick him out of school, do lab experiments or worst of all, stop him from playing volleyball. He couldn't lose Kageyama, the setter who allowed him to stand on the court, the person who understood his "gwaah" language, his partner and best friend.    
"I don't remember." He said. 

\--- 

 At home on bed rest, between bouts of fussing from his mother and sister, he did another google search. However, this time he didn't ask questions. He knew exactly what to look for.   
_"...rising from the dead...walk, talk like a living person...."_    
_"_ _….need_ _to drink human blood_ _....can_ _sometimes sustain itself on ordinary food...._ _"_    
_"...a being able to detach its head from its body in order to seek human prey..."_    
_"...can take on the form of a wolf, bat or mist...."_    
_"...a vampire can bind a human to it, by drinking of the human's blood and claiming ownership_ _....this_ _covenant, if broken, often results in the death of the human..."_    
_"_ _….._ _sunlight can harm or even kill a vampire....more it drinks, the more it can withstand the sun..."_    
_"_ _...m_ _ethods of destroying a vampire_ _...garlic..._ _holy water..._ _fire..._ _decapitation..._ _stake through the heart..."_    
  
He put his phone down. Decapitation was much worse than never being able to play volleyball again. However, if Kageyama could turn into a wolf, that would be awesome. His eyes sparkled at the prospect of spiking a ball set by a wolf.    
"Nii-chan?" He looked up to see a tiny orange head poking into his room.   
"Natsu? What are you doing awake?" He sat, and she shuffled into the room. "Good little girls' should be sleeping." Natsu twisted her torso back and forth, knowing she was being naughty but clearly having a reason to be.   
"I wanted to make sure you were okay...." Her voice was small but full of feeling. Hinata smiled, and lifted the covers of his futon. With a bright smile, Natsu crawled in beside him and they snuggled down together.    
"Nii-chan?" Came a tiny voice again. Eyes still closed, Hinata replied,   
"Hm?"   
"Don't get hurt again." Now he opened his eyes to see tears shining in his sister's. He brought his hand up to wipe them away gently.    
"I can't promise I won't get hurt. Sometimes people get hurt, Natsu. But I promise I'll never get so hurt that you are left alone. I'll always be here to protect you, okay?" She nodded, and he gave her a kiss on the forehead.    
"Now go to sleep, or Mum will be grumpy." 

\--- 

"I wonder if Kageyama is alright...." Mused Suga during warm up. "It's not like him to miss practice for so long." It had been four days since Hinata had been hospitalised. He'd come back after only a day's rest. Everyone had asked him questions, and fussed over him. He told them he had fallen after practice and must have hit his head. That he didn't know how he got two perfect holes in his neck, but that he must have stumbled to Ukai's store before losing consciousness. That he didn't know how he had lost that much blood. Or where it had been lost, since there was none at the school or on the store step. It wasn't a lie, not really. He  _didn't_  know how he had gotten from the school to Sakanoshita. He _didn't_  remember going to hospital. He did, however, distinctly remember the way his stomach had fluttered when Kageyama had looked at him. The way his eyes had asked him, asked him for the blood. And the way he had not only said yes, but had  _wanted_  it.   
"Didn't Daichi say he was sick?" Chimed in Tanaka. Suga merely 'mmm'd thoughtfully. Even when down with a fever, Kageyama had turned up with a mask and barely missed a toss. That he would stay away for four days, without so much as showing his face, seemed really out of the ordinary.    
"Maybe something happened. You saw him last, Hinata, did he seem upset or anything?" The orange haired boy peeped at this, surprised from his reverie and almost dropping the ball he'd been thoughtfully rolling against his chin. When he remembered what happened when he Kageyama last, a blush found its way to his cheeks. Tsukishima saw this, smirked, and pounced.    
"Maybe you two fought? You know, like the other day, when you guys were fighting so much you almost kissed?"   
"Tsukki!" Hissed Yamaguchi, nudging a snickering Tsukishima in the ribs. Although he cast a curious glimpse to Hinata as well. Hinata was honestly confused by the comments. Kissed? Him and Kageyama? The other day, when they had fought over the sunglasses, Kageyama had clearly been fighting the urge to bite Hinata. Yes, the thought of what had happened made him blush, but not because of kissing. To be fair, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi couldn't be expected to know this. He held the ball to his chin thoughtfully. Maybe it was time to give Kageyama a visit.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm loving writing this story, and I cannot believe that there are people reading and enjoying it. That some are looking forward to it! It's amazing and I hope to continue to entertain you all. Your support means the world to me.
> 
> If you're enjoying this, and would like to support me in making more, consider [buying me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/A7874XCH)


	5. Hate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one got long and was going to be longer lol  
> Sorry it took so long, but the muse left me and I had to drag the bitch back by her hair.

Wrapped in blankets, curtain closed, Kageyama moped. It had been the modus operandi of the past four days.  The morning after he had attacked Hinata, he had placed a thermometer in a cup of tea and held a hairdryer to his forehead. However, all that his mother had required was to see his red rimmed eyes.   
"Take all the time you need, dear." She had simply said, placing a loving kiss into his hair. She hadn't yelled when he messed up his room. Nor when, after he had cleaned it, he messed it up again. While he sobbed into her lap, she rubbed small circles on his back and muttered reassurance. His father was just as maddeningly positive about the whole affair. Just before, when he had finally brought himself to join his parents for dinner, Mr Kageyama had refused to accept the gravity of the disagreement. 

"Is this the Hinata you're always talking about? The jumper?" He'd merely nodded morosely into his rice.   
"Haven't you two already fought?" Another glum nod. "Ah, then you'll be fine!"   
"No, we won't. He hates me, I'm sure."  
"And why do you say that?" 

Because I attacked him, I betrayed his trust, I'm a monster, I almost killed him. Because _I_ would hate me. 

"Tobio, listen, if the roles were reversed, and whatever it is you did, he had done instead, would you hate him?" Dark blue eyes snapped up to meet brown ones. He blinked many times. He tried to imagine it. Hinata pinning him down, thin muscular arms pushing down on him. The weight of his body on his stomach and chest. Hinata licking his plump, pink lips. Hinata leaning down close to his face, the scent of the strawberry lipbalm he always wore filling the tiny gap between them. Hinata biting into his neck. 

"You alright, Tobio, you've gone all red?" Came his father's concerned voice. Everyone's chopsticks fell off their bowls when Kageyama suddenly stood, excused himself, and marched out the room. He had immediately burrowed into his bed, cocooning himself from the thoughts and feelings that were threatening to burst out. That was when the unthinkable happened.

A knock at the door, followed by his mother's happy exclamation of,  "Hinata-kun! What a surprise, come in, you look cold!" Sitting bolt upright, Kageyama listened intently. It was a little strain, but he could hear the voices from downstairs clearly.   
"Ah, sorry for the intrusion." A stumble of shoes being removed. "I brought some notes from school...." An awkward pause. He could imagine an orange head looking around curiously. They hadn't been to each other's houses before, so Hinata was sure to be nosy.   
"Tobio is in his room. Just up the stairs and to the right." The thump of feet on wood. "I'll bring some snacks up later." Called his mother.   
"Thank you!" Then more footsteps and a pause. A knock at his door. In that moment he wanted to melt away, to disappear into nothingness, a shadow with no form.  
"Hello?" A little orange head poked its head round the door. The rest of the body followed shortly after. Holding on to his bag strap, Hinata looked around the room. He was in his gym gear, and smelt like sweat. The salty scent filled Kageyama's nose, making him lick his lips involuntarily. After practice, when Hinata was leaning on him or begging for tosses, he'd sometimes been able to smell Hinata's sweat. It wasn't strong and overbearing, like Tanaka's or Daichi's or Sugawaras. Nor was it masked by deodarant like Asahi's or Ennoshita's. It was always a sort of delicious salty, making his natural scent muskier. Now, with his heightened senses, it smelled even better. 

"Kageyama?" He stiffened at his name. But brown eyes glanced over him and continued their survey of the white walls.  Hinata made his over to the desk, setting the bag on it with a sigh. Papers were removed from it and placed on the desk. Quite a stack. He groaned at all the lessons he'd have to catch up on. Hinata snapped around, arms up in his fight pose.   
"H..Hello?" He said, eyes skidding around. Kageyama held his breath. Eventually Hinata lowered his arms, and heaved another sigh. Kageyama tracked him as he wandered around the room, fiddling with things and generally being as nosy as he'd expected. His eyes tracked up from small white socks, up muscled legs with sparse orange hairs on them. Past black shorts to the sweat dampened white shirt. To the little bandage on a thin neck that made his stomach tighten with guilt. To the face tilted up to the ceiling, intensely thinking.  
"I miss you." Said the object of his study. He watched as Hinata's face went pink and he looked at the ground. "I mean, we all do, at practice. But also, me." He placed his face in his hands. "So, just come back to school, Bakayama." He snatched up his bag and headed to the door. 

"Wait!" Kageyama found himself yelling. Hinata turned around with a screech. 

"AH, KAGEYAMA!! WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?" 

"I've been here the whole time, dummy." He growled. Hinata looked very confused and was stuttering. He could hear the heart beat bump-bump-bumping away erractically at the shock. He didn't know what to say now. Hinata was clearly not angry at him, which confused him. This scenario was so different to the one he'd played in his head most of the week, that he had no idea what to do. All he could do was stare at Hinata, while the other boy shuffled his arms and feet around before settling down. They stayed in awkward silence for a little while. Eventually Hinata coughed. 

"I brought you notes."   
"Thanks."   
"Your classmates kept them for you, but no one wanted to drop them round for some reason."   
He grunted in response to that. _'For some reason_ '  
Hinata stepped forward slightly. He fiddled with his bag strap before speaking.   
"Do you feel better?"   
"Hah?"   
Brown eyes blinked at him.   
"You're sick, aren't you?" Blue eyes blinked.   
"No?"   
"Then why are you off sick?" Hinata stomped his foot. Kageyama frowned at him, and watched the other boy freeze. The fight position was assumed again. Surely Hinata knew, surely he understood. Was he _that_ stupid?  
"Because of you, Dumbass." He fiddled with the threads of his bed sheet dejectedly. Maybe Hinata was just playing dumb to get his confession. This was now the moment where the yells would happen. When the " _stay away from me_ "s and the " _I hate you_ "s would fly. This was when he'd lose the volleyball he loved so much.   
"I'm sorry." Came a tear strained voice. Except it wasn't his. Surprised, he looked up to see Hinata twisting his hand into his shirt. Panic set his heart at an insane rhythm. Scrambling up, he tripped over his stupidly large feet to grab Hinata. He immediately let go when the other boy squeaked with fright.   
"Why are you sorry, idiot? Ahh, Ah, why are you crying?"   
Hinata hiccupped forlornly,  
"Because you hate me so much, you even missed practice." He whined. Frantic, confused, Kageyama tried to solve the problem as quick as possible.  
"I DON'T HATE YOU DUMBASS." In the shocked silence that followed, Kageyama's mother asked if they were okay. In unison, they replied they were. Then they went back to staring at each other. Hinata's eyes were still shining, a wet track under his right eye. His heart was racing, but rhytmically, as if from excitement instead of fear. He reached a hand out to stroke at the sun-tanned skin, feeling the dampness on his cheek. Hinata twitched, but didn't pull away. His face became warm beneath Kageyama's touch. Softly, he asked the question that had been building up inside him since Hinata had made his confession to the ceiling. 

"Why don't you hate me?" And then, perfectly innocently and in the same hushed tone, Hinata replied, 

"Why would I hate you?" 

Kageyama felt his face contort, emotion he wasn't prepared to handle filling him. He felt sick, and scared, and confused. His hand slipped off Hinata's cheek. He had almost killed his best friend, who was currently blinking up at him with big innocent eyes. And while his emotional side wanted to run and hide, there was the hunger. The smell of Hinata so close, so alive. He swallowed hard.   
"Is it because you bit me?" Asked Hinata, hand finding the bandage on his neck. "Is that it?" He seemed genuinely perplexed. All Kageyama could do was nod, open mouthed in shock. Relief washed over Hinata as he giggled slightly, "Oh, thank goodness. I thought I had done something. Haha, why would I be angry about that?" But his face went serious upon seeing Kageyama's desperate expression. He squared his shoulders, taking Kageyama's face in his hands.   
"I don't blame you. I said yes."   
"What?" Whispered Kageyama. Hinata smiled gently.  
"That night, before you bit me, you looked at me and I said yes." When Kageyama continued to look at him in confusion, Hinata hmmed. He chewed his lip slightly, making the scent of strawberry waft up to Kageyama. Apparently, Natsu had disliked the feel of lip balm, so now Hinata wore it to stop his lips chapping in the cold mountain air. It was true his lips were smooth compared to Kageyama's dry, cracking ones. And plump. And pink. They parted,  
"I sometimes know what you're thinking, even before you do, so even though I didn't know, I knew, you know? And I said yes." A happy little beam. "So don't worry or feel guilty or anything. I’m fine.” Now Hinata’s hands dropped to his side, and he rolled up to his toes and back to his heels. “You seem better, actually,” he continued, taking on a more thoughtful tone. He was completely disregarding that Kageyama had to process this information. “Less pale, less twitchy….”  
"Oy!” But Hinata merely laughed beautifully before shoving his face in Kageyama’s.  
“How _are_ you feeling?” He had to think about that. He hadn’t felt as restless. He just realised he’d been around his parents without wanting to bite them at all. Hinata must have done that mind reading thing because he grinned.

  
“See, you do feel better. So if you need to, keep doing it, I'm okay with it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully next chapter will be soon because I'm sitting on the muse so she doesn't leave again. 
> 
> If you're enjoying this, and would like to help support me, consider [buying me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/A7874XCH)


	6. Iron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe letting a vampire suck your blood every day isn't the greatest idea?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long. NaNoWriMo had me focusing on other things, and then I got busy. I hope this chapter being a little longer makes up for the wait.
> 
> I reread this chapter and edited it, plus there were some autocorrected names i.e Hinata = hint and Natsu = ants. Hint's little sister is just a sentient pile of ants.

"Hinata-kun, um, can I ask you something?" Hinata looked up at the blonde girl opposite him. Yahci's head was cocked to the side slightly, her usual star ponytail being lifted up. It reminded him of a puppy raising on floppy ear in interest. Kageyama was glaring down at an English sentence, repeating to himself the word "revolution" as though saying it more would translate it to Japanese for him. Yachi had agreed to help them with their English homework during lunch, because she was, in Hinata's opinion, the nicest person ever. She always tried her best, never complained, and didn't treat him (or Kageyama) badly for being stupid. He had just taken a mouthful of rice as she asked, but he replied anyway.   
"Shaw" he spat rice on the table.   
"Urgh, dumbass, don't be so disgusting." Muttered Kageyama, not even looking up. Hinata scrunched his nose up at him, before looking back at Yachi. She sighed sweetly.  
"It's been two weeks, so I was just wondering why you were still wearing a plaster on your neck. Is the wound not healing?" Both Kageyama and Hinata tensed up. Desperate blue eyes swivelled over to him. Hinata was not a good on the spot liar. Keeping things from people, and lying, were very different things. For example, he would never tell anyone that Kageyama was a vampire who was feeding on him every day to prevent his blood lust turning into a ferocious beast. However, if someone were to ask him, "Is Kageyama a vampire?" He would have a hard time saying no. Luckily, the conversation had never headed in that direction. Swallowing hard, he laughed to himself. Blue and brown eyes watched him carefully as his hand went instinctively to rub his neck. Kageyama had simply been using the same bite mark, as they had decided that more plasters and wounds would raise suspicion. Neither of them had thought about the long-term suspicion of keeping the same plaster on. He looked at Kageyama. This was pointless, as the black-haired boy was just as bad at lying as he was, and was clearly freaking out. It was up to Hinata. 

"I, er, keep scratching the scab, and re-opening the wound. My mum says I have to keep the plaster on until it is fully healed, or I'll just make it worse." He smiled, hoping his story was believable. Yachi smiled,   
"Oh, haha, maybe you should have a cone, like dogs get." He was so shocked his excuse worked, he just blinked at her. She went pink.   
"N,n,not that I mean you're a dog. I just meant, so you wouldn't scratch, I'm sorry." She touched her forehead to the table.   
"Don't be sorry, he acts just like a dumb puppy anyway."   
"Hey!"  
Yachi lifted her head and laughed as the two of them argued. 

 

The squeak of his shoes as he landed on the gym floor barely registered as Hinata looked at his hand. It appeared to be shaking. Or was it blurry? It wasn't behaving, that was clear. That was the fifth time that practice that a ball he was sure to hit, had sailed past him as his hand whooshed through air.   
"You alright, Hinata?" Asked Nishinoya. Hinata looked up at him. Why was his senpai moving back and forth like that? He blinked, and suddenly Nishinoya's face was in his.   
"Hinata?"   
"Yeah, I'm fine. ONE MORE!" He called, making his senpai wince. Kageyama gave him an angry look of concern, but Hinata ignored him. Kageyama would send him the ball. He ran across the court, and just as he went to jump, his vision went black. He heard the ball land, before his vision washed back in.  
"Hinata, dumbass, you have to jump to hit the ball."  
"Hang on Kageyama, I don't Hinata is feeling well." Came Sugawara's voice. "Doesn't he look, wobbly, to you?" Daichi nodded beside him. All Hinata could do was blink at them.   
"He looks pale too." Tanaka said, stepping forward to rest an arm around Hinata's shoulders. Hinata was grateful, as he had been about to fall over. Daichi approached, arms folded.   
"Hinata, you've been getting steadily worse all week. If you sacrifice your health now, it'll have repercussions later. Go home." Hinata tried to shake his head but nearly fell over. He was marched over to the bench, and his stuff was gathered for him.   
"Hinata-kun?" Came a soft voice. He looked up into the concerned, but still mostly blank, face of Kiyoko. He smiled at her, before yawning. Her eyebrows twitched together gently. "Have you been eating enough red meat recently?" Hinata decided to list off what he'd had for dinner the past week. Kiyoko waited patiently, nodding when he finished.  
"Hmm, well, just in case, take one of these and see how you feel." She held out her perfect, long fingered hand. A small pill, sort of a reddish brown, sat there.   
"What is it?"   
"An iron tablet. I take them sometimes, when I feel lethargic or when, well, when I need to." She smiled, the mole above her lip bouncing up. He nodded, taking the pill. She handed him his drink bottle, from which he took a big swill, popping the pill between pursed lips. Coach Ukai appeared then.  
"We don't think you should bike like this, so sensei is going to drive you home. We've loaded your bike in the back, but don't come to practice tomorrow. It's the weekend, so rest."   
  
His mother was surprised when he had arrived home early, and delivered by the teacher no less. However, Natu had been over the moon.  
“NII-CHAAAAANNNNNNN!!!” a small ball of orange launched itself in to his arms. He laughed, and kissed her chubby little cheeks. “Now we can play all afternoon!”  
“Now, Natsu, Shoyou has come home because he is sick. You have to let him rest.” The little girl pouted. Hinata placed her down gently and ruffled her hair.  
“How about we watch a movie before dinner? You can play with my hair.” Natsu squealed with delight. They put on a movie, and they sang along to all the songs while Natsu put many clips and ribbons in her brother’s hair. Hinata always found it so relaxing. It was even better now that she was older and tugged less. For dinner they had meat, which was rather unusual.  
“I’ve also been thinking you haven’t looked so well recently. I wondered if you weren’t getting enough iron.”  
“Giyogo-shan, shaid za shame ting.”  
“Swallow, then talk, Shouyou. How many times?” Hinata concentrated on chewing before swallowing.  
“Kiyoko-san said the same thing. She gave me an iron tablet.” His mother nodded.  
“She’s such a good girl.” a question suddenly occurred to Hinata.  
“What does iron do?” His mother looked at him in surprise.  
“Well, do, exactly, I’m not entirely sure. But it’s in your blood, and you need it to feel healthy.”  
“Blood?” she nodded. Oh. That might explain it. “Well, we’ll see if you feel better taking the tablet, we might have to consider buying some. I’m sure a good night’s sleep will help too.” 

After dinner, Hinata had a bath. Natsu wanted to join him, but his mother insisted he needed to relax. He was grateful, despite normally enjoying the playful antics of his sister. He just wanted to lie in the hot water and think. Also, he wanted to take the plaster on his neck off. The wound was red, and bruising, probably from being reopened every day. His fingers brushed lightly against the wound. Kageyama’s lips came in to his mind. While the bites hurt at first, they always felt a bit nice after the initial incision. Then Kageyama would lick away any blood, the warmth and wetness of his tongue making Hinata feel, things, he wasn’t sure about. He saw his face in the mirror, and turned away in embarrassment at how pink he was. He quickly washed his now weirdly sensitive body and got into the bath. Kageyama hadn’t had a chance to drink today. They’d been studying at lunch, and Hinata had gone home early. He wondered if the other boy would be okay. Hopefully he wouldn’t go into a blood frenzy because he didn’t get a snack. It seemed unlikely. It had been weeks before he initially attacked Hinata, and four days he hadn’t seen him after that. Maybe Kageyama didn’t need to bite him every day. The thought really hadn’t occurred before.   
  
As he got out the bath, drying himself and getting into his pyjamas, he was lost in memories. He remembered Kageyama’s surprised face when he had made his offer. The way he had licked his lips and looked down at Hinata’s neck with longing. Hinata had reached up to pull the plaster off, and Kageyama's arm snaked around his back to pull him close. The other hand cupped his head gently, as the setter bit down reverently into his neck. He’d made a wincing sound, making Kageyama had pulled back in alarm. Blood dribbled down his chin.  
“It’s alright.” Hinata assured him. Kageyama didn’t look sure, so Hinata had stood on his toes and tilted his neck up. He was bitten once more. Kageyama had pulled back not too long after that.  
“You alright?” he asked. Hinata nodded, only a little light headed. Kageyama had scrutinised him for a long time before announcing,  
“You need to change your shirt.” 

Every day since then, they had found a secluded area to do the exchange in. Kageyama had gotten better at not spilling, and wasn’t taking enough to make Hinata light headed. However, if he needed iron, and iron was in your blood, maybe it was making him sick? Hinata got into bed, snuggling down. He would try talking to Kageyama tomorrow. Right now, he was tired, the kind of tired where your vision gets blurry. It looked like there was figure standing outside his window, but he knew it was just the shadow of a tree or something. Until he heard a knocking. He leapt out of bed, arms up defensively. The shadow waved. Do burglars, axe murders, and other creepy people who live in the mountains and murder teenage boys usually wave?  
“Let me in, Dumbass.” He lowered his arms. Opening the window, he frowned at the figure.  
“How are you going to come in through the window, Kageyama?”  
“I’m gonna climb.” then Hinata watched in barely contained amusement as his friend huffed and grunted and wriggled through the open window. He just about fell in, until Hinata rushed forward and ‘caught’ him. Groaning, he pushed the other boy off of him.  
“What are you doing here? It’s night time!” he hissed, wary that his mother was still awake. Kageyama straightened himself up, curiously looking around the room. He sat down on Hinata’s bed, as if he owned the place.  
“I was worried.” he said simply.  
“About me?” Kageyama frowned at the floor as though it had personally insulted him. He was embarrassed. Hinata trotted over to sit next to him. “I’m fine.”  
“No, you’re not! Your hands were shaking all during practice.”  
“How’d you know that?”  
“I could see it!” they were whisper shouting at each other. “You’re paler too, and tired. You’ve been getting worse.” Hint was silent now. Kageyama had come all the way up the mountain just to check on him. His heart sped up.  
“What’s wrong now?” Kageyama eyes were looking directly at his chest.  
“I’m fine. Guess I was just excited that you care so much about me.” it was true, probably. He was fine. But his heart had been speeding up around Kageyama for a while now. Kageyama blushed and looked away.  
“You’re an important part of the team.” he managed to mutter. Hinata chose to ignore his inability to deal with friendship.  
“How did you get here?” he looked at the confusion on his friend’s face.  
“I, I’m not sure. I was thinking about you and, I don’t know, I guess I flew?”  
“YOU CAN FLY!”  
“Shhhhh Dumbass.” Too late, because the soft, fast thump of feet was fast approaching.  
“Kageyama, hide!”  
Natsu flung the door wide open.  
“Who’re are you talking to Nii-chan?” she asked, looking around the room. Hinata smiled at her nervously.  
“Kageyama.” he said without thinking. Natsu looked around the room excitedly before frowning at her brother.  
“There’s no one here, Nii-chan.” In surprise, Hinata looked around the room too. Indeed, he couldn’t see anyone. But the corner where his bed met the wall looked awfully shadowy. Their mum appeared by the door.  
“Natsu, go back to bed and stop disturbing your brother.”  
“But he was talking to someone!” Hinata’s mum looked around the room.  
“No one is here.”  
“He said it was Kageyama.”  
Hinata laughed sheepishly.  
“I was txting him, and got excited. Volleyball stuff.” Both of them went “aahhhh” at that. This was a common occurrence in the Hinata household.  
“Good night, Shouyou."  
“Good night, Nii-chan!”  
“Good night.” He waved at them as his door was closed.

He turned around, and suddenly Kageyama was there.  
“How did you DO that?” he whispered. Kageyama just shrugged.  
“I’m a vampire?”  
“Cooooool.”  
They sat, looking at each, for a little while. Kageyama was looking around his room. Hinata realised this is how he must have looked like when he went in to Kageyama’s room. Why had they never invited each other over? Hinata lived far away, sure, but a weekend would work. Natsu was dying to meet her brother’s best friend, and Hinata wanted to show Kageyama the woods around his place. If Kageyama could fly, if that is indeed what happened, then maybe visits would be easier. How had it worked?  
_“I was thinking about you.”_ As his heart sped up at the thought, Kageyama gave him a curious look.  
“l need to go to bed.” Hinata blurted, trying to change the topic before it even came up. His friend jumped off the bed.  
“Of course, sorry.” Awkwardly, Hinata crawled in to bed while Kageyama just stood by it and watched. His blue eyes were staring at him, as if he wanted to say something. It made Hinata feel very aware of himself. He lay there, looking anywhere but at the setter.  
“I’ll just, um, leave.” came Kageyama’s abrupt announcement. He headed for the still open window.  
“Um, Kageyama?”  
“Hmm?”  
“Thanks for checking on me.” Predictably, the black-haired boy looked away, frowning. His hand screwed up tight, then released, and then screwed up again. Hinata waited. Without turning to him, Kageyama asked quietly,  
“Do you think I’m making you sick?” Hinata sat up in bed. He gestured for Kageyama to come close, and was surprised when the other boy complied. Kageyama sat on the bed, frowning into his clasped hands.  
“I think, maybe?” He winced when he saw Kageyama’s face screw up in pain. He reached a hand out, resting it on the setter’s arm. He didn’t want to hurt his friend. But now was probably a good time to talk about it. Since their fight at training camp, he'd been thinking that talking was a probably a better way to deal with problems. “Maybe you’re drinking too much?” Kageyama’s eyes snapped up. They seemed to be pleading him for something. Not to leave? Not to think he was a monster? Hinata smiled reassuringly. “We don’t have to do anything drastic. Maybe, we don’t do it everyday?” Kageyama nodded slowly. His eyes were burning deep into Hinata’s. They were so blue, it was striking. He wondered what it was about Kageyama looking at him that made his heart beat fast, and his breath hitch. Maybe it was the blue. He pushed on. “Do you, do think, maybe, we could not do it every day?” Kageyama relaxed, as though every muscle had been wound tight.  
“Yes, of course. How often is okay?”  
“I dunno, how often would suit you?” Kageyama thought for a moment.  
“I was fine for four days. Every four days?” Hinata nodded. Kageyama reached out and touched his neck, but quickly recoiled when Hinata yelped in surprise.  
“Sorry.” he said quickly. Hinata shook his head, hand on his neck, although he found it hard to talk. He wondered how red his face was. Kageyama continued, “I just thought maybe I should bite somewhere else. That looks sore.” Hinata nodded, still unable to talk. Kageyama’s fingers may have been calloused and rough, but had somehow felt so soft against his skin. It must be a vampire thing.  
“I should go.” Kageyama’s voice was plain, but his eyes were sad. Instinctively, Hinata reached out to grab him. He was looked ar in surprise by those intensely blue eyes.  
“Ah, um, Good night, Kageyama.” he smiled warmly. He was treated with the smallest of smiles in return.  
“Good night, Dumbass.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I liked using the other characters more, because they are important to the story too. No Tsukki and Yama this time around, but they'll be back with more teasing soon, don't worry. 
> 
> Oh, and before anyone freaks out, it's relatively common for young children to bathe with their parents and older siblings in Japan. I always think of Hinata as a good big brother, so I think he'd want to help with bath time too. Plus, knowing Hinata, I bet he likes playing with bath toys too.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as threeshadesofanime. I mainly cry about Haikyuu!! and Yuri!!! On Ice there. 
> 
> Here is my [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/A7874XCH) if you would like to show support in a different way. I love comments and kudos just as much though, it really keeps me going.


	7. Tsukishima is a cryptic jerk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama is hungry, Hinata is adorable, and Tsukishima is a butt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I must apologise for the late update. Sorry for making you all wait! 
> 
> I've updated the tags for things that will happen later down the line, not in this chapter. I will put a warning on those chapters before you read them, when they do come out. I was really unsure of what I wanted to do but I've made up my mind. If you want to stop reading, I understand. For those of you who stay, I hope you continue to enjoy the story. 
> 
> Also,I have finally decided where in canon this story takes place. Around/after Karasuno qualified for Nationals.

Monday morning was warm. The sunlight, despite the early hour, was shining strong. Its rays clutched at Kageyama's eyeballs with a demonic passion. With a growl, he pushed his sunglasses up as far as they would go. Still, the claws of the sun scratched at his vision.  Practice was on, and Hinata was going to be there. He had taken the weekend off, which had been frustrating. Practice felt empty with the orange creature demanding tosses all the time. Daichi had told him off for sending selfish tosses again. This had also been frustrating. Was he acting out, out of concern for the decoy? Or was his superhuman speed affecting his plays?    
   
"Ah, Kageyama, good morning!" Called a familiar voice. There was Hinata, hopping off his bike. The sun glinted off his hair, and the sweat upon his brow. An angelic image, shining with the morning.    
   
"Morning." He replied. Their paths converged and they walked together to the bike shed. Hinata jabbered on about his weekend, despite not being asked about it. Such was his way. Kageyama listened, as he always did, with a disinterested sort of interest. One you reserve for things you don't really want to hear, but the person saying them smells like strawberries and sweat and smiles wide and bright when you do.    
"How was your weekend?" Hinata asked as he clicked the lock on his bike. The vampire opened his mouth to reply when an orange blur sped past him towards the gymnasium. Immediately, Kaeyama gave chase. Hinata laughed, calling out,  

"I'm going to win!"    
"Not this time!"    
   
He caught up quickly, the orange hair bouncing in his view. He could make out every strand, reflecting the sun like a thousand tiny mirrors. Hinata's heart was thumping wildly, the exertion and thrill of the race pushing his sweet-scented blood around his body. The throbbing sound filled his head, and the scent filled his nose. Hinata filled his body. Kageyama's hand reached out, grabbing the redhead by the neck. With a flick of wrist, the smaller boy was turned around. There was a yelp, followed by a sharp intake of breath. Holding tight to his prey, Kageyama opened this mouth to lick his teeth. Wide brown eyes shook as they looked up at him. Those strawberry lips parted slightly, panting. Black hair mingled with orange, as Kageyama bent his forehead to Hinata's. Their heavy breaths mixed together, lips quivering inches apart. Blue eyes met brown. Hinata blinked and the fear slipped away from his eyes. It was replaced with a sharp glint, that made Kageyama shudder expectantly. The redhead pushed his forehead against the taller boy's.    
"Wait until tomorrow."    
The voice was quiet, yet commanding. Kageyama blinked, shaking his head and releasing the other boy's neck.   
"Sorry," he swallowed, "I didn't mean," a sigh, "sorry." The sharpness melted away from warm brown eyes, and a soft smile spread.    
"What a good boy you are, Kageyama-kun. Good boys wait patiently for their meals."    
"Shut up, dumbass."    
"You two are suspiciously quiet this morning." Came a drolling voice, and a supportive snicker. They both looked up (and up, in Hinata's case) at Tsukishima's familiar smirk. Yamaguchi was smiling beside him, and gave them a proper morning greeting.    
"Are you feeling better, Hinata?" The freckled boy asked. Hinata nodded, launching into another long spiel about his weekend. Yamaguchi chatted back, filling him in on what he had missed at practice. The two taller boys bookended their shorter counterparts in silence. Tsukishima slid Kageyama a knowing look, which he pretended not to see. But, judging by the smirk on the blond's face, he wasn't a good actor. At the beginning of practice, Daichi instructed everyone to get into stretching pairs. Being the two tallest, Kageyama and Tsukishima usually ended up together. Sometimes, if he was lucky, Kageyama would get to stretch with Tanaka because Yamaguchi took Tsukishima to himself. However, this morning it seemed Yamaguchi was not feeling kind. Reluctantly, Kageyama sat on the floor to bend forward, while Tsukishima lay his giant fingers against his back. He felt the blocker lean forward, and breath against his ear. It was unpleasant, the hot, wet air of Tsukishima’s mouth against his ear.    
“If I were you, I’d wait until after school to get all cuddly with annoying loudmouth.”    
“I don’t know what you mean.”    
“Suit yourself.” and with that Tsukishima leaned back. They stretched in uncomfortable silent until practice began. The whole time, Kageyama was puzzling over what Tsukishima had said. What could he possibly mean? Hinata and he had, as far as he knew, never cuddled the entire time they had known each other. They had fallen asleep on the bus next to each other when coming back from training camp. But Tsukishima himself had leant against Yamaguchi on that very same bus trip. He’d have to ask someone about it later.  

 

During practice, Kageyama found himself incredibly distracted. Every time Hinata ran anywhere close to him, a sort of red mist descended over his eyes. He actually grabbed him once. He'd just grabbed his wrist, stopping the boy dead. Brown eyes looked at him in surprise, then went defensive.   
"Whaddya want, huh, I'll fight you!"   
Kageyama had looked at him, then at his own hand, clutched on Hinata's slim wrist. There were sparse reddish-brown hairs on the arm he held. They were standing up slightly, perhaps unnoticeable to an ordinary human eye. He had let go, and muttered 'dumbass' as if it had been Hinata's fault that Kageyama had felt an uncontrollable urge to grab the number 10. As he'd turned away, he'd made eye contact with Tsukishima. There was a look in the blond's eyes that he couldn't understand. Not surprising, so he tried to shrug it off. The words spoken during stretching echoed in his mind. When they resumed, the ball he served went right across the gym. Everyone looked at him in silent horror. Never had he made such a grotesquely huge mistake in accuracy. However, perhaps the turmoil and hunger he was feeling was on his face, because no one said anything. Hinata was looking at him with a cocked head of concern. The redhead trotted over to him while Kageyama got another ball.   
"I'm just hungry." He said, before Hinata could ask his question. The other boy looked down, fiddling with the bottom of his shirt.   
"Sorry." It was very soft, and somehow the sound tightened Kageyama's chest. He placed his hand on top of the orange fluff.   
"Don't worry. I'm a good boy, remember?" The smile he received was enough to blind him.  

 

"Cuddling?" Kageyama nodded at the older setter's question. He waited while his senpai looked at the ceiling in thought.    
"You and Hinata were cuddling?"   
"No, I don't think we've ever hugged. That's why I'm confused. Why would Tsukishima say that?" The silver haired boy laughed.    
"I bet he was just teasing you. You and Hinata are very close, and you only just met. Tsukishima's closest friend is Yamaguchi, who he's known since childhood. And they aren't as," another thoughtful glance at the ceiling, "physically close as you and Hinata. Maybe he's jealous." Kageyama could tell from the cheeky grin that Suga wasn't really serious about Tsukishima being jealous. But maybe he was just winding Kageyama up. The King name wasn't riling him up like before, so the blond had to get creative. Kageyama bowed.   
"Thank you for your help."   
"Ah, you don't need to bow, what are senpai's for." Suga laughed off the formal gesture.    
"Eh, Kageyama, you need senpai advice?" Tanaka head perked up.    
"No, thank you." Tanaka ignored this, slinging an arm around Kageyama's shoulders. He was sweaty, the strength of the smell making him dizzy. But there was another scent, that messed with his conciousness even more. The blood. Even after the cool down, Tanaka's heart was still pumping faster than normal. His blood was seeking to cool down, closer to the surface, the smell licking tantalisingly against Kageyama's nostrils. Without Hinata around to absorb all his bloodlust, Kageyama had found himself comparing his other teammates and ranking them by "probable deliciousness". Surprisingly, and unfortunately for the young setter, Tanaka was number one after Hinata. The comparision though was like a prime rib steak compared to a macdonalds patty. Still tantalising, but the difference is stark. Yachi was ranked third, followed by Nishinoya, Kinoshita, Asahi and Yamaguchi. He’d stopped there, because the others hadn’t seemed palatable. Especially Kiyoko, who smelled nice as a person, but unpleasant as a snack. It was strange, and he wondered what influenced it. Why did Hinata, far and above anyone else, smell so delicious? 

“What is the problem? Volleyball? Study?” Suga butted in there.   
“As if you could help with study.” Tanaka either didn't hear him or chose not to.   
 “Love?” Now Suga full on laughed.    
“I would not take love advice from this idiot. He’s been drooling after Kiyoko since his first year.” Kageyama tuned out the ensuing poetical (?) justification Tanaka had for his failed romance with the beautiful manager. His problem was not romantic in nature. His problem was Tsukishima was a cryptic jerk who enjoyed making fun of Kageyama. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some emotional/digestional turmoil for Kags. Next chapter will also be from his perspective.


	8. Pink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hinata is pink a lot and Kageyama is invited to the all Japan youth training camp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to do this chapter on my phone so I'm sorry if the formatting is weird and out of whack. Or if the spelling is weird or words are repeated. I should be able to fix it a few days.  
> No warnings for this chapter, just lots of unrealised pining, descriptions of Hinata, and awkward teenage feelings. Also volleyball, I guess.
> 
> Happy Valentine's Day!

The next day was cold, the wind blowing lazily but refusing to relent in its bitterness. The pre class mingling of students was small, most people retreating indoors as soon as possible. A world of white, grey and black. A spark of orange burst into view. Hinata was talking to Kiyoko-san about measurements after school. One of his friends, Kageyama only knew him as “Acchan”, was beside him. He’d never really talked with Hinata’s friends, other than the occasional “where is he?” conversation. They always seemed a little scared of him, he didn't know why. But it wasn't a surprise they didn't like him. Almost no one outside the team liked him. It didn't matter, they weren't important to his volleyball. His attention was drawn by the upturned face of Hinata. His breath came out in hot gusts. Despite the scarf around his neck, Hinata's face was cold. Circles of pink on his cheeks and nose gave him a blushing look. He found his hand reaching out, wanting to pull the smaller boy towards him. There were people around and what exactly was he planning on doing once the grabbing had happened? He stuffed his hands into his pockets before appearing behind the redhead.  
“Oi…”  
There was a peep of surprise from the one known as Acchan. Hinata gave Kageyama a side long glance and for a moment, looked very cool.  
“We’re gonna have a showdown for maximun vertical reach.”  
“It's on Kageyama-kun.” A playful grin. “ how about we have ourselves a little wager?”  
“Three curry meat buns.” Kageyama answered immediately. Not that he’d get a lot of enjoyment out of actually eating them. But seeing Hinata upset over handing them over, that was worth it.  
“Bring it.”

  
The measuring was exciting. Compared to his previous school, everyone got far more worked up about the results. When he was comparing height gain with Hinata, and Hinata declared he had 'won' as he grew more, it felt nice. Even when Tsukishima came over to gloat about being over 190cm tall. To argue, to tell, to compete playfully against team mates. He’d never had that before. And, it occurred to him as he watched an orange head rush around the gym, he never would have of it wasn’t Hinata. The other boy pushed forward where Kageyama couldn’t. He put Kageyama in context, challenged him, and taught him how to behave. Without Hinata as a catalyst, Kageyama would still be the cold King of the Court. He was pulled out of this contemplation by the object itself. Hinata was cocking his fingers at Kageyama and looking around conspiratorially. The taller boy traipsed over.  
“What?” he asked.  
“You grew taller, didn’t you?” whispered Hinata behind his hand.  
“Yes?”  
“Well, aren’t you a vampire? I thought they were immortal, and kinda dead, no offense.”  
“Not sure why I would be offended. Do I look dead?” Hinata leaned back to give Kageyama a proper look. He frowned slightly, looking like a child trying to decide between sweets.  
“No?”  
“I don’t feel dead. I still eat and poop,”  
“Ew, you don’t need to tell me that.”  
“Well, you asked if I was dead.” Hissed Kageyama. “Dead people don’t poop.” Hinata was forced to nod in agreement. Then he looked up as a thought occurred to him.  
“How did you become a vampire anyway?” his eyes were bright with interest. It was, perhaps, an innocent enough question. However, it made Kageyama tense up and look away. He hadn’t thought about that night for a while. The memories swished around his brain like muddy water. A warm hand touched his arm.  
“Kageyama?”  
Shaking his head, Kageyama forced himself to look at Hinata. The orange fluff gave him comfort to look at.  
“I was attacked.” He managed to say. But then the words lodged in his throat like a sharp stick. He moved his mouth around to try to get them out, and swallowed the stick, but still he could not talk. Blinking, screwing up his eyes, he tried. The warm hand returned and squeezed his shoulder. Hinata’s voice came out soft and kind.  
“It’s okay. It must have been scary. We’ll figure this out together.” Then he smiled. Warm, wide, stretching his lips across his face. The creases were deep and familiar, since he smiled a lot. Kageyama noted that there were little freckles across his cheeks and nose. Barely darker than his suntanned skin, but noticeable to his advanced vision. He wanted to touch each one, maybe connect them together, spending hours making images out of the incoherent dots. Just him, and Hinata, talking about volleyball and Natsu, and whatever dumb thing the redhead wanted to talk about.  
“Ah, we’re being called to do the maximum reach measurements. Come on, I’m definitely going to beat you.”  
Kageyama watched him rush by. The scent of strawberries wafted from soft hair that almost touched his nose. He found himself almost grabbing the other boy again. But he resisted. Later, they had agreed they would meet later for Kageyama to drink. He could wait. He could take his time.

  
He restrained his jumping to a more human level, although he did give himself the indulgence of going a little higher than Hinata. Just to win that wager. At the end of practice, Takeda made an announcement. Kageyama had been chosen to go to a training camp in Tokyo for youth players. He blinked in surprise. Then his heart lit up. What an amazing opportunity. His talent had been recognised. While his back was being jumped on by an over enthusiastic libero and bald team mate, Kageyama felt genuine joy. His performance pre-vampirism had been enough to get him a special training spot. That was a relief. He accepted the invitation.  
“What about me?” Kageyama looked at Hinata. There was that intense look in his eye that made him shiver. Most often seen on the court, it revealed what Kageyama thought of as Hinata’s true nature. His raw powerful core that made him so compelling. Their teacher looked apologetic.  
“The invitation was only for Kageyama.”  
While not entirely a surprise, as Hinata was not yet a fully realised volleyball weapon, it did give Kageyama a jolt. The training camp was in Tokyo. For five days. A week away. No Hinata. No blood. New routine and new people. His stomach began to knot.

 

“I can't believe I didn't get invited to even the Miyagi training camp.” Kageyama hmmed absentmindedly in response. “But Tsukishima did. That guy! I can't stand it.” The orange haired boy growled with frustration. His bike clacked along beside him. Kageyama looked at him. He understood that Hinata would be upset. He must feel insignificant. But it’s fine if his abilities aren’t recognised now. The more their opponents underestimate him, the better.  
“Just get stronger. Then no one will be able to look down on you.” The clacking stopped. He looked at his friend. Small hands were gripping tightly against the bars. His whole body was shaking. Teeth gritted together, he spoke,  
“It’s so frustrating. I want to be stronger. How can I become stronger?” tears slowly tracked down his face. Shocked, Kageyama could only stare. He was unsure how to handle this display of weakness. No, not weakness, but self doubt. It was wrong. Hinata marched forward, ran ahead, unblinkingly stared into challenge and grinned. Hinata cried and declared he was going to become the strongest. This was wrong. Kageyama needed to fix it. But how? He stepped forward. Hand shaking, unsure, he reached for Hinata’s face. His thumb rubbed away a tear. Hinata looked up at him with shining brown eyes. His stomach did a leap. Unable to control himself, he squished Hinata’s cheeks until the little pink lips pursed out like a fish.  
“Don’t cry dumbass. If you face strong people, you'll get stronger. You've already gotten so much stronger since you arrived. We both have.” He released the cheeks and wiped away some residual dampness. “Besides, as long as I’m here, you won't lose.” He expected a smile. He hoped for a smile. But Hinata just have him a confusing look. Almost sad, not quite angry, but neither one completely. Then he shook his orange head and it was gone. However this did not ease the knot in Kageyama’s stomach. They continued on, until they came to a park. They went in, Kageyama following Hinata until the shorter boy leaned his bike against a tree. The he turned and thrust his arm out awkwardly, wrist up.  
“Okay, drink.” His face was pink. Was he scared?  
“Not your spiking arm dummy.” Hinata then switched to hold his left arm out. He was shaking. Kageyama grabbed the wrist.  
“Are you sure it’s okay?” he didn't like the way Hinata seemed nervous. However, Hinata nodded. So Kageyama dropped the issue. He had been looking forward to this. He was thirsty.  
A calloused thumb moved lightly over a blue vein. The smell of blood rose up sweetly, like a dab of perfume, from the wrist. The pulse was visible, making the skin jump. Kageyama licked his lips carefully. He breathed in deeply, relishing the sweet aroma. However, this was cut short by the wrist being yanked away.  
“D, don’t just s, sniff it, stupid, it’s embarrassing.” Hinata was pouting, eyes down, his cheeks pinking as he spoke. It was interesting how the pink didn’t clash with his hair. Instead, they complimented each other. Like a strawberry cake with mandarin icing. Or a shrimp.  
“I’ve never bitten here before. Isn’t the wrist where people, cut, to, die?” he was whispering. He didn’t know why. It just seemed like a topic you should whisper about.  
“eh? Are you worried you’ll kill me?” Brown eyes unwaveringly stared at him.  
“I don’t want to kill you.”  
“Aww”  
"Then who would I eat? Tanaka? He’s so noisy.” Hinata pouted. Then in a tone laced with a hint of venom.  
“For a moment I thought you cared about me.”  
Kageyama frowned intensely. Hinata was being strange and perhaps it was something he had done but he didn't know what. He was still holding Hinata’s wrist, so he pulled it towards him again. He wrapped his right arm around the smaller boy’s waist, in case he lost his balance after losing blood. Running his thumb along the veins, he found himself licking his sharpened canines.  
“This might hurt.” He breathed, before sinking his teeth into the soft flesh. Predictably, the red head tensed, letting out a brief hiss. But then he relaxed, leaning into Kageyama chest. The rush of flavour was amazing after his four day fast. Rich, warm, spiced blood flooded his tongue. Gulping reverently, he squeezed tighter on his prey with both hands. Not too hard, just holding him close. Like a cat digging it’s claws in with pleasure.  
“Mmm…” came a quiet whimper. A slight sucking sound was let out as Kageyama pulled his teeth out. He lapped at the blood as it beaded out of the puncture holes. He let his tongue massage the wound, tasting each last drop and savouring it. After all, he wouldn’t get any more for another four days.  
"Ahh, t..thats enough K..K..Kageyama. I’m no..not an ice cream.” The setter ignored this, because actually, Hinata was the closest thing he had to an ice cream. To any food really. He still drank his milk, and ate in front of people, but it wasn’t as satisfying as it had been. Blood was the tastiest treat for him now. He licked a few more times, despite no more blood coming out. He could still taste Hinata, his skin. The tang of sweat. A sweet taste, of something unknown. He gave one last lick before pulling his face away. He found himself not wanting to let go of the red-faced redhead. He could feel Hinata’s heart beat going rapidly through his chest. Brown eyes were half closed but still looking at him. Lips were slightly parted and panting lightly. Suddenly the urge to bite was overwhelming. He pulled Hinata’s wrist back, to bite in the same place he had, when he stopped. The wrist was bare. Just brown smooth skin with unbroken blue veins.  
“Hinata look.”  
Hinata shivered against him, as though he was shaking off a sleep. He looked at his wrist.  
“Eh? Didn't you just bite there? Why is gone? D…do I have magic heading powers now?”  
“What? Shut up dumbass. Let me try something.” Kageyama pulled Hinata’s neck to the side and pulled off the bandage. The marks were a less angry red than they had been, but were still a long way from healing over. He rubbed his tongue over them, making Hinata squeak and squirm, but he held on tight. Kageyama moved his tongue in long, slow licks, as though he were massaging the wound. Hinata’s heart was racing, making his blood rush around his body with a scintillating aroma. Despite this, Kageyama managed to pull away. The wound had now faded to an old scar. Interesting. He released the wriggling Hinata who backed away with his hand gripping his neck. He was quivering all over.  
“W..w..w..w..w..what….” he was almost glowing he was so red.  
“It seems I’m the one with magic healing powers.” Hinata blinked and felt his neck properly. His eyes widened.  
“Cool.” He whispered.  
After this revelation, it was time to head home. Just after saying good night, Kageyama turned around.  
“Hinata?” the bike stopped clacking as Hinata turned his orange head around. “About the training camp,” a shadow passed over the other boy’s face. “Just show them. Show them how strong you are.” And then there it was. The smile he had been looking for.  
Bright.  
Blinding.  
Beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When will Kageyama figure out all his vampire powers? When I stop making ones up for him lol 
> 
> Hinata has some things to figure out but I'm almost 100% certain that if he figures anything out, it's not gonna be why his heart beats so fast whenever he gets bitten. Nuh uh, not for some time.


	9. Sticky Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata is upset about what Kageyama said, and his feelings become....sticky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No content warnings

_"I'll be going on ahead."_  Kageyama's words rang through Hinata's head while he tried to sleep. That's what his friend had said, while Hinata gave him an envious (and perhaps, nervous) look. Kageyama, and even Tsukishima, had been invited to training camps. His peers had been recognised for their talent on a professional level. And Hinata had been ignored. Would he be left behind? Had been so caught up in the thrill of success, of being a regular, of his own progress that he hadn't noticed his lack of skill? No, he was more than aware of his lack of skill. But talent he thought he had. Even if just a little. But if that wasn't recognised by others, did it really matter? He rolled over in his bed, trying to push the thoughts down so he could sleep. Normally, he wasn't plagued with an abundance of thought before bed. But something about the way Kageyama had said that phrase. The idea of being left behind, of that familiar number ten getting further away, ascending a tall staircase that Hinata couldn't climb, was too unbearable. Kageyama's gloating face reared in his head.    
_'_ _Just get stronger'_  As if it was that easy. _Thanks Bakayama, you're unhelpful and your nose hairs are too long._ He rolled over again, trying to imagine all the ugly and embarrassing facial expressions Kageyama could make so he could laugh at him in his head.  

 _'As long as I'm here, you won't lose.'_  Kageyama was gloating about how Hinata needed him but he didn't need Hinata. At least, if Kageyama left him behind for Volleyball, he couldn't leave him completely. Hinata was his source of blood after all. Kageyama might go on to play for Japan internationally but he'd need to take Hinata along anyway as a snack.    
' _Oh good. I can watch people play the sport I love while I sit back as a glorified bento.'_  He kicked his legs up in frustration. He wanted to go with Kageyama, not as a juice box, but as a companion. A teammate.    
_'Wait, didn't I say I'd beat him one day?'_  He thought about it. It's not like he didn't have friends who weren't also rivals. Kenma, Inuoka, and Lev from Nekoma were really good friends. And he and Kageyama had faced each other as rivals before. Their circumstances were very different now though. Hinata was no longer an unskilled kid who's only talent was jumping and running. Kageyama was no longer a lonely King with selfish tosses. They'd grown so much since coming to Karasuno. Not least, he had to admit, because of each other. Standing on opposite sides of the court now would feel wrong. Did Kageyama not feel the same way?  Stupid Kageyama, with his stupid skills and superior vampire abilities, like licking things to heal them. His face started to heat up. Why did that keep happening today? Even before Kageyama got all licky, (which was mind numbingly embarrassing how could that stupid head even think that was okay) Hinata had been blushing at every little thing. He found his heart racing when he was close to the setter. The warmth of Kageyama's body next to his was comforting yet exhilarating. Which was made all the worse when Kageyama wrapped his dumb muscular arms around Hinata's waist, as though Hinata was not in fact a muscular boy himself but instead a waifish damsel, pulling him close to that dumb muscular chest and breathing his dumb breath against his skin as though the very act was not sending electric shocks throughout Hinata's body.    
_'I'll be going on ahead.'_  Tears stung his eyes suddenly, as he bunched up over his stomach. It was doing knots and sinking in on itself. The tears flowed down his face, staining his pillow as he shivered under the blankets.  

 

 _Calloused fingers traced up his arms. Hot breath tickled his neck. He watched in captivation as a pink tongue licked against pointed teeth. They sank into his neck, making him moan as a thrill ran through his stomach and down to his toes. The tongue massaged against his neck, and then was at his wrist, before he was bitten again. The mouth moved over his body, tasting him, consuming him, filling his body up. He writhed in bliss. Then the mouths moved away._    
'I'll be going on ahead.'   
_Then black hair shifted away, and he was staring at a retreating back. He tried to reach out. To grasp the orange and black fabric before it beyond his reach. But his feet were stuck. He lifted them. He tripped. He fell. When he looked up, the back was gone. Nothing but him, and a large empty staircase. Each step as high as a volleyball net. Too high for him to see over on his own._  

Hinata woke in a bad mood. He felt sticky, both on his face from the tears, from the sweat on his body and, to his embarrassment, in his underwear. He rushed into the bathroom to shower before his mother or sister could wake up. Despite being clean, the stickiness of his mood remained. Morning practice only seemed to sour him more. 

"Come on, boke, your receives are terrible."   
"I'm SORRY OK?!" A silence fell over the gym. Kageyama blinked in shock. Hinata huffed, frowning at the ground. Sugawara stepped forward.   
"Kageyama-kun, there's something I've been meaning to show you about serving, come here for a sec." Kageyama nodded dumbly, still glancing at Hinata as he walked over to his senpai. Nishinoya clapped Hinata on the back.   
"Don't worry, I'll teach you how to do a good receive." The redhead nodded, and practice continued relatively uninterrupted. Hinata wished he didn't notice all the concerned looks he was being given by his team mates. Even Tsukishima was looking between him and Kageyama with what might have been concern. The school day went by as before. The stickiness remained, he felt like he was suffocating. Kageyama, Yachi and him had lunch together in the halls, since the weather was so cold and unforgiving outside. Maybe if he was wearing his summer uniform he wouldn't feel so confined. Hinata was sullen, making little effort to talk and refusing to look at Kageyama. Yachi valiantly kept the conversation going, unsure of the cause of the falling out but knowing it would be solved eventually. Afternoon classes began. After school practice happened.    
   
"Oi." Hinata looked up at his towering peer. A look of discomfort was on Tsukishima's face. "Come with me."    
"Eh, what, you wanna fight, huh?" Tsukishima made no effort to hide his disdain.   
"If I wanted to fight you, I'd just step on you here." Then he walked away as Hinata growled at him. However, Tsukishima rarely called Hinata for conversation, so he was interested. In most likelihood he was about to be insulted in a more intimate and personal manner, but his curiosity had been peaked. Maybe Tsukishima wanted help and was too shy to ask. Grinning, he followed. They went just behind the gym. Tsukishima leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. The air of disinterest he carried was admirable. Hinata wondered how he could not care about so many things so consistently. An artform. And, Hinata suspected, a rather well cultivated lie. He waited for Tsukishima to explain this call out. But the other boy remained silent. Was Hinata supposed to say something? But he didn't know what this was about. He was about to burst from waiting when Tsukishima finally spoke.   
"Why are the King and you fighting?" Hinata froze. He looked down. He could feel Tsukishima's appraising gaze. It was annoying, but he felt the blonde was great at reading through him.    
"It's not like we're fighting or anything." He pouted. Tsukishima scoffed.   
"No, you just yelled at him this morning and you haven't been bickering all day. When you two aren't being completely insufferable, it's somehow more annoying." He sighed. "Look, it's been bothering me for a while, and it's not my business, and I don't care, except it's annoying, but has something changed between you two?" He asked, his eyes determinedly looking over at a tree. Hinata tilted his head to one side. Changed? He thought about his sticky mood.    
"He's going away on that training camp." The image from his dream came back to him, of a back with the number 9 disappearing. He scrunched his face up, but knew he wasn't really going to cry. When there was no response from his team mate, he looked up to find Tsukishima looking at him in surprise. "What?"    
"Oh, I just, didn't expect that to be the reason. Are you going to miss him?" For once, there was no sneer. He was being genuine. So Hinata responded genuinely.   
"Yes. I don't want to be left behind." There was silence, as Tsukishima took this in. Then his lip curled up.   
"Are you going to miss me?" Hinata jumped and responded as expected, of course not shittyshima, and Tsukishima laughed. But he went back to serious. "Hinata, you're not like me. You're straight forward. I think you can only survive by being straight forward." Hinata didn't really understand what he was being told. Tsukishima was giving him advice, a strange occurrence in and of itself. He was encouraging Hinata, perhaps even complimenting him. The blonde's lips curled up again. "Don't overthink too much, your brain will over heat." And he jokingly ruffled Hinata's hair.    
"Shut up, shittyshima." As Tsukishima snickered, Hinata followed after him back to the changing room. The team was in the process of undressing and redressing. Kageyama gave Hinata a questioning look, which Hinata chose to ignore.   
"Hoy, Hinata, Tsukishima, don't think I'll let you off easy for skipping clean up." Called the captain.    
"Yes!" They called in unison. Hinata got changed quickly, running out to his bike as soon as he could. Unfortunately, the person he was hoping to avoid was there. Kageyama was scowling at him, but he also looked a little sheepish. Good. He should feel ashamed for what he said. He's a butt. A stupid head. Hinata didn't want to talk to him. He marched past him, unlocking his bike as though Kageyama was not there. This was not well received.   
"Oy." His arm was grabbed, and he was whipped around to look into irritated blue eyes. They seemed to be glowing again. He wriggled around, turning his head away and complaining. He was grabbed by the shoulder and steadied. "Calm down dumbass."   
"I'm angry at you."   
"I can tell."   
"Then let go of me."   
"No."   
The glared at each other.    
"Tell me why you're mad at me."    
"No."   
They glared at each other.    
 

That night, after biking home alone and sulking about it after, Hinata was thinking about what Tsukishima had said. His relationship with Kageyama had changed, in that Kageyama was now drinking his blood. But he suspected Tsukishima didn't mean that. He wondered what he had meant by saying that Hinata was straight forward. He'd said it about the training camp. Don't overthink it. Hinata wanted to go to a training camp.  

_ _ _ _ 

 

Tsukishima's wild and horrified eyes steadfastly looked forward and not at the tiny proudly smiling figure beside him.  


	10. Confession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter! After nearly two months. Sorry for the long delay. I know where I'm going with this story, but I'm not sure how I'm getting there. I thought I'd write this chapter anyway, because you all deserve content.

Kageyama was lazily munching on his rice, the chatter of the other boys floating around him, when his pocket buzzed. Taking out the phone, he was shocked to see Tsukishima's name on it. They had exchanged numbers at the request of Coach Ukai, in case anyone got lost on one of their camps or games. Kageyama had used it once in a last-ditch effort to locate Hinata one time. He had received no reply and Hinata had been returned sometime later by a junior high school coach who had mistook him for a lost child. He opened up the text.   
   
 _Hinata is here._

 _What?_    


 _At my training thing. He's here._    


 _Why is he there?_    
   
 _I don't know but he is. He's been allowed to stay for some reason. He's the ball boy._

The mortification fueled anger resonated from the screen. What could Hinata be thinking? He's snuck away, during what should be a break for him, to a training camp he wasn't even invited to? How'd he even sneak in? Why hadn't he told him about it? 

 "Kageyama-kun, you alright?" His head snapped up to see Sakusa Kiyoomi glaring at him. "You've been scowling at your phone for a while now." He finished, as though that justified the glare. Kageyama just shrugged and put his phone away. It buzzed again, but he decided to leave it until after dinner.

When everyone was rowdily getting ready for bed, with talk of playing truth or dare, or telling ghost stories, Kageyama checked the last message Tsukishima had sent him.

_help_

The plea glowed on the screen. He couldn't process it.  _That_  Tsukishima asking for help? But when it came to Hinata, it seemed Tsukishima didn't really know how to handle him. He seemed to just avoid dealing with the redhead altogether. He put the phone away and settled in to the futon. A teacher had come in and squashed all hope of late night tomfoolery, with most boys being secretly pleased due to their own exhaustion.

He closed his eyes. Orange hair and a wide grin floated in to his mind. The image made him feel warm and safe. Then it shifted, becoming a scowl, a pout, the head turned away. He still didn't know why Hinata had been mad at him. The idea made his stomach twist around. He'd been able to shove it down, focusing on getting to the camp and interacting with others. It had been a challenge; the lights were bright and his skin felt itchy. The blood he'd had just a few days before was waning. Hinata had smiled at him, then the next day he had been mad. Mad at him. For something he wouldn't tell Kageyama about. Was it about Volleyball? Drinking his blood? Kageyama being mean to him? That last one seemed likely. He should make an effort to say nice things to Hinata. He should tell him how much his friendship meant to him. When he saw him next, he'd tell him something nice. Maybe about his smile. Satisfied, he rolled over to get more comfortable. Only to discover he was not in his futon.

He was on the floor, and face to face with a sleeping Tsukishima. His body tensed with surprise. There was a scowl on Tsukishima's face, confirming a theory that he was grumpy even in sleep. However, upon a proper look, the source of the scowl was traced to a foot that was pushing against the back of the blonde's head. Kageyama sat up to see a starfished Hinata, his pajama top pulled up, snoring happily away. Looking around the room, he realised he was in a landmine of sleeping teenagers. If someone woke up, how was he going to explain his presence. Movement caught his eye. Hinata's hand were twitching in sleep. Maybe he was dreaming about playing volleyball. A smile pulled gently at Kageyama's mouth. Hinata's exposed belly rose steadily, and Kageyama worried he'd catch a cold. He leaned over to pull the pajama top down, moving Hinata's foot off of Tsukishima's face, and tucking the redhead properly in. His hand found its way into the orange mess on Hinata's head. It was soft, fluffy, and the movement wafted strawberry scent up to his nose. In his sleep, Hinata nuzzled into the hand patting him and made a contented little noise. Kageyama's heart did a little back flip. 

"You're so cute." He whispered. 

After watching the sleeping form for some time, he decided it was time to head back. He closed his eyes and hoped that he could reverse the process of his mysterious vampire powers. He wondered if he should click his heels together. When he opened his eyes, he was standing in the unfamiliar room full of strangers his own age. 

The next day he sent Tsukishima a text.

 _Can't help. Let him be. Don't sleep next to him._  

There was no reply, but that didn't bother him at all. In fact, he felt a bit better than the day before. Even though he hadn't really solved the Hinata being angry at him problem, he felt good after the events of the night before. He talked with some people, one or two even seemed to like him. He had, of course, put his foot in it with some others. But that was par for the course for him. 

_Tell me when you go to sleep._

_You want to wish me a royal goodnight?_

Kageyama frowned at the phone. He wanted to know when was a good time to visit, to talk to Hinata, ask about the training camp. He could always wait until everyone was asleep and just watch him again. However, he thought that might be a little creepy.   


_Just tell me when everyone falls asleep. Tell Hinata to stay awake._

_…_ _..... ok_

Despite his clear misgivings, Tsukishima did send a text saying that most everyone was asleep but Hinata was nodding off too. Kageyama thanked, did in fact wish him good night, and waited a while. Once he heard the breathing of the other boys become even, he closed his eyes. He visualised Hinata, smiling. He was talking about something, Natsu or volleyball or some tv show. He was laughing. He was snoring.    
He opened his eyes to find himself lying beside Hinata. The red head was fast asleep. He was not starfished against Tsukishima, as someone had zipped him into a sleeping bag. Probably at Tsukishima's request. He smiled down at his sleeping friend before carefully bending down. He shook his shoulder gently. 

  
"Oy, dumbass, wake up." He whispered. No response from the prone figure. Worrie dabout waking up the others, Kageyama decided to just slip Hinata out of the sleeping bag and take him into the corridor. However, as he struggled with the slippery material of the bag, Tsukishima woke up.    
"WH-"   
He began before slapping a hand over his mouth. Kageyama froze, arms hooked under Hinata's armpits, the smaller boy half out of the sleeping bag. Tsukishima's eyes were wide, shock, horror, confusion, anger mixed with his usual disdain.    
"What on  _earth_  are you doing?" He hissed.   
"I'm talking to Hinata."   
"No, you're not. You're kidnapping him."   
"I'll put him back when I'm done."    
"Done with wha-"

A mumble from across the room made them both shut up and look round. Luckily, no one had woken up. Not even Hinata.    
  
"Done with what?" Continued Tsukishima.   
"Never mind." Kageyama replied, managing to slip the rest of Hinata out of the bag. He then pulled the redhead up into a bridal style carry and shuffled quietly out the room. He didn't look back at Tsukishima but heard the blonde mutter and get back into his futon. 

Kageyama took Hinata to a far corridor, before shaking him aggressively to wake up. Bleary brown eyes blinked open with a yawn.   
"Kageyama, wha...."   
"Hey Dumbass."   
"Kageyama!" Hinata nearly fell out of Kageyama's arms with the realisation. "What are you doing here?!"   
"Quiet down Boke. I could ask you the same thing." Kageyama gently lowered Hinata into a standing position.   
"Shouldn't you be in Tokyo?" Asked Hinata. He was hugging his arms tightly and shivering. Kageyama took off his long-sleeved shirt, handing it over. Hinata went bright red and just stared with horror at the offending shirt.    
"You're cold." Stated Kageyama. Even with a bare chest, he didn't feel cold at all. Bonus of being an undead he supposed. When Hinata didn't take the offered shirt, he tried to force it on him. They struggled for a bit but eventually Hinata was convinced to place the shirt on, since Kageyama was much stronger. He steadfastly looked at the ground though, his ears complimenting his hair colour. 

  
"Shouldn't you be in Tokyo?" Hinata repeated.    
"I was. But Tsukishima texted me you were here. I wanted to ask about it." Hinata just shrugged.    
"I wanted to come." That made sense. He had been allowed to stay.   
"Are they letting you participate?" Hinata's shoulders sagged. He sighed and leaned back against the wall.    
"No. I'm the ball boy. Still," He lit up a little, "I get to see all these amazing players, and I can see things. Like, something is starting to make sense." His eyes had that sheen to them. Not the full blown monster look he could get, but it was like the beginning of that look. Something exciting was brewing in his mind, and it made Kageyama excited too. They might be able to reach a new level of volleyball this way.

He and Hinata silently buzzed for a little bit before Hinata deflated once again, shooting a glance at Kageyama.    
"How's the Tokyo training camp?" He asked. Kageyama shrugged.    
"I can see why most of them are there. It's challenging. I have to adapt a lot more than with you guys." Hinata stared at him for a while.   
"So, you really are going on ahead?" He asked quietly, almost to himself. What did he mean by that? Before he realised it, Kageyama's hand was on Hinata's cheek. Their eyes held on to each other. Hinata looked like he wanted to say something. Kageyama's hand was still on his cheek.    
"Do you want to bite me?"

The question shocked him.     
What?"   
"Well, it's been a while, and you're around all these new people doing exercise. I bet they smell delicious." Hinata pouted. Kageyama thought about this for a while. He was going to be at the training camp for a few more days. All those warm bodies rushing around, the blood pumping tantalizingly just under their skin. He supposed he probably should, in order to avoid attacking someone and being ousted from volleyball forever for being a blood-sucking monster.

"Yeah. But aren't you mad at me?" He asked. He didn't really want to drink from Hinata, draining away from he literally needed to live, when he was mad at him. Hinata shook his head.    
"No, I just...it's okay now." He sighed.    
"Are you sure?" Hinata nodded, smiling sleepily up at him. He needed to be quick so Hinata could rest up. 

He slid his hand softly to the back of Hinata's neck, stepping forward and pulling him close. Ever so gently he pulled on Hinata's head, angling the sun-browned skin up towards him. He bit deeply, relishing the sweet sticky liquid that gushed forth. Hinata peeped slightly in pain, but soon relaxed into the bite. His arms came up to dig into the skin of Kageyama's back. He felt the other boy's body tense up and was worried he was drinking too much. Just as he was about to pull away, a tiny voice whispered in his ear.    
"Please don’t leave me behind.” 

Kageyama pulled back suddenly, blood dripping down from his lips.    
“What?” he said messily. Embarrassed, Hinata looked away and mumbled that it was nothing. His eyes were scrunched up like he was going to cry. Kageyama licked his lips hurriedly.   
"What do you mean, leave you behind?" He pushed. Hinata shrugged.    
"You said you’d go on ahead." he mumbled. "I still need you, to stand on the court. You don’t need me. You never did." his voice cracked, and he rubbed at his eyes. They were wet. Kageyama was overcome with the need to do Something. He needed his friend to stop crying. His skin felt tight, his stomach had dropped to his knees and he felt like he was shaking. Hugs? No. Hugs wouldn't do it. Didn't feel right. He's have to try words. How could he could make Hinata understand?

"Hinata, do you know how many friends I had in middle school?" He asked. Hinata shook his head before giving a guess.   
"Two."   
"Less."   
"One?"   
"Less." He sighed and leaned against the wall. He thought about his team mates, how they never invited him anywhere or exchanged numbers with him. Not even just in case. Hinata's eyes were wide. Kageyama chuckled ryly. 

"I think I was so unpopular I was in the negatives.  I was so terrified coming to Karasuno. Then you were there. And you trusted me. I had given you no reason to, but you did. Dumbass." he laughed and so did Hinata. "Without you, I wouldn’t be standing on the court like I am now. As part of a team. I wouldn’t be at this training camp. And without you, I wouldn’t be a part of the Karasuno team. So I did need you. And I still do. You’re my best friend Dumbass." He punctuated this point by ruffling the soft orange hair on his best friend's head. Hinata went bright red.  

  
"Bbbbest friend? Really? I'm they special to you?"Kageyama was also blushing.    
“Ssshut up Boke, you’re like the only choice.” Hinata ignored him.   
"Kageyama-kun thinks I’m special." he began in a mocking tone, looking incredibly pleased with himself. "What am I going to do. My best friend is so talented, on a special training camp. I’m so proud, to see how he’s grown.” He condescendingly patted Kageyama on the head, who allowed this only because he was struck dumb with embarrassment.

Blood was still leaking out of the wound on Hinata's neck. Kageyama leaned forward, scooping his arm around the smller boy's waist and pulling his neck towards him. He licked at the wound, tasting the few drops of blood. Hinata meeped and mmmed as he went from surprise to possible discomfort over being licked. He pushed his body against Kageyama’s, perhaps wanting to stop him. But the setter wanted to make sure the wound was properly healed up before leaving. When he pulled back, Hinata’s eyes were half lidded. His face was pink.   
"Kageyama..." He breathed. Kageyama licked his licks. He felt hungry again, like he wanted to bite and drain Hinata again. It would be easy. He shook the thought away. He scooped Hinata into his arms, who didn't protest. He took him back into the room, where Tsukishima had fallen back asleep. He helped the sleepy Hinata back into the sleeping bag.    
"Good night." He whispered.   
"Good night." Hinata yawned, snuggling into his pillow. Kageyama stayed until he had fallen asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Kageyama left his shirt there. I dunno how he's gonna explain that one. 
> 
> I had a comment on another fic about formatting, so this chapter might be a little different to the previous ones. I hope it's easier to read.


	11. Tsukishima knows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super lightly implied homophobia (but not expressed by any character in story)

Hinata woke to find a face glaring in his. He yelped and tried to jump backwards, failing due to being tucked into a sleeping bag. He tried to wriggle away, the silken bag making ssfffing noises as he did. Tsukishima sat up, still scowling, and fumbled around for his glasses. When he had located them, he turned a more focused glare on Hinata. He looked shocked for a moment then pinched his nose.   
  
"Why are you wearing that shirt?" He grumbled. Hinata looked down. The shirt he wore was too big for him and smelled nice. He felt his cheeks heat up.   
"None of your business!" He yelled, earning him grumbles from the other boys in the room. He looked around sheepishly, apologising, before being grabbed by the neck.   
"Is this blood?" Hissed Tsukishima. It was hard to tell if he was concerned; he just sounded angry. Hinata pulled away, slapping a hand to his neck.   
"No!" He got up and ran away, muttering something about needing the toilet.   
  
That's where he headed, because he wanted to check. In the mirror, he could see better the blood stain on the collar of the shirt. He remembered Kageyama pulling back, blood dripping from his lips. The way he had licked it off made Hinata blush. It hadn't been particularly slow or deliberate, but ever since the licking had started, he'd become more aware of the vampire's tongue. The way it darted over those thin lips, how it pushed down with delicious pressure against his neck, how he imagined it would feel if it travelled. He shook his head. He needed to focus.   
  
When he returned to the room, Tsukishima had already gotten dressed and headed to breakfast, so he was safe from further scrutiny. He folded Kageyama's shirt into his bag carefully. Not before holding it to his nose and breathing deeply for a moment. It smelled like soap, but earthy too. A slight hint of salon pas. It made him feel safe, but also set his heart racing. Probably the embarrassment of sniffing a shirt for no reason. Still, he found himself smiling as he thought about what Kageyama had said.  _Best friend_. That's how Kageyama saw him. Not as a useful tool, not just a team mate, but a friend. A Best Friend. 

Tsukishima glared at him as he practically skipped into the dining hall. But it didn't matter; he was in too good a mood to be put off by that giant grump. The morning practice was exciting, and he started to be able to predict where the ball was going to be. He could almost see it in slow motion at times. Just glimpses, moments that felt like eternity but melted as fast as snow on a warm cheek.    
   
Lunch came around. There had been grumblings among the other boys that Hinata, who had not paid for expenses, was being fed, so he was trying not to eat too much. He often found himself eating Tsukishima's leftovers. The tall boy had his plate piled high by well-meaning coaches and then left half of it. He'd watch in mild disgust as Hinata shoved the remaining portion into his mouth. Somehow, despite neither of them intending to, they'd ended up hanging out together in break times. Hinata felt out of place, and he suspected so did Tsukishima, whose social ability was only just above Kageyama's. After Tsukishima had slid his plate over, he asked Hinata a question.   
"What happened last night?" 

Hinata nearly choked on his rice. He turned wide eyes on the blonde. He swallowed hard.   
"What?" He tried to ask innocently. Tsukishima remained unimpressed.    
"Last night. Why was the King here, how was the King here and what did you two do?" His teeth were partially gritted.    
"How did you?"   
"Answer the question."   
"There were three." He responded but blanched back quickly at the murderous expression on the other boy's face. What was he meant to say? How could he explain this? He couldn't tell him that Kageyama was a vampire. Regardless of if he believed him or not, the reaction was likely to be less than positive.   
  
He wished Kageyama was here, to explain, a midnight train or something perhaps. Yet, this was his chance to prove himself worthy of being a Best Friend. He needed to protect Kageyama.   
"He wanted to give me his shirt, and he took a midnight train. The blood was from a nosebleed." He stated calmly. Turning his nose up snootily at Tsukushima. Ha! Aloofness wasn't that hard to feign. There was a pause, in which he secretly celebrated a successful response. He was wrong.   
"Why?" Growled Tsukishima.    
"To..um..give me his..er..shirt?" A hand slammed on the table. Hinata stared at the palm, with its long, pale fingers, shocked at the excessive show of emotion. He watched Tsukishima take a breath, recover his calm demeanor.    
  
"Look, I know you two are, like, joined at the hip or whatever" He began, the effort to remain calm obvious. "But you can't risk getting caught like that. You could both be kicked out, you understand?" Hinata's heart skipped a beat. He knew. Somehow, despite how careful they had been, Tsukishima knew. Was he going to tell? Was he going to hurt or hate Kageyama. No. He seemed genuinely concerned.    
"You..you don't mind, about Kageyma? And me?" He asked. Tsukishima blinked at him.   
"Of course not. You two are less annoying when you get on," then he smirked, "but only mildly." Hinata smiled. Tsukishima wasn't such a bad guy. He already knew that, but he didn't realise how much he cared about his team mates. Warning them so they didn't get kicked out for being a vampire and protecting one. He slapped him on the back.   
"Thanks for the warning. We'll be more careful in the future." Then he finished his lunch and hopped back to work. Later, he texted Kageyama.   
   
 _Tsukishima knows_ _about :bat_ _emoji: he's okay with it but says we could get kicked out!!!_ _So_ _we have to be careful. Stay in Tokyo. Hope you're having fun!_

He then spent half an hour calming a panicked Kageyama down, and assuring him that, no, he didn't tell and no, Tsukishima wasn't going to tell, and yes, everything was going to be fine. 

_Don't worry. You're Bestie has your back :_ _thumbs_ _up:_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Initially, I didn't plan for Tsukishima to play that big a role in the story, but he's gonna be a little bit more involved now. Although, perhaps you guys can guess that there's a communication error here.


	12. Rewrite

Hello readers!  
  
I'm going to be rewriting this story. I no longer feel comfortable with how I've been writing about the kids. Also, I think I wussed out and resolved the fight to quickly, so you guys didn't suffer enough. I'm going to try and rewrite the story, with more development. The plot should follow the same direction, and will end in the same intended place.  
  
I hope you will enjoy the new version when it comes out.

 

Thanks


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